Railroad-switch.



wit 12 5.

A. SCOHY.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I915.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. SCOHY.

RAILROAD SWITCH. APPLlCATION FILED MAR. 31, 1915.

1,177,655. v Patented Apr. 4,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET}- A Q/z/ AUGUSTIN SCOHY, 0F IBUSSEY, IOWA.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUs'rIN SooHY, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Bussey, in the county of Marion and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Railroad-Switch, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved switch and frog folrailroad junctions, having-in place ofthe ordinary frog, an adjustable frog rail member capable of swinging to position in line with one rail of either track.

A further object is to provide such adevice of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction. 0

A further object is to provide in such a device simple and accurate means for locking the movable rail member in position, which locking member will not be materially affected by the expansion or contraction of the rail.

. A further object is to provide such a switch and frog device, having mechanism, whereby the movable rail member at the point of intersection of the two tracks can be operated and at the same time the inner ends of the rails at the point where one track ends may be moved and controlled from one point by an operator.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of a railroad switch and frog embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a vertical sectional detail view of the same taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a detailsectional view taken on-the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a top or plan view of the plate which is adapted to be secured to the lower surface of the movable frog rail member; Fig. 5 shows a vertical sectional view of the switch stand, and Fig. 6 shows a plan view partly diagrammatic, illustrating the posi tions of the operating mechanism.

In the fprm of my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numerals 10 and 11 to indicate generally the rails of a main line of a railroad track. The rail 11, which is nearest to the switch track, I shall call the inner rail.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 31, 1915. I Serial No. 18,403.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

I- have used the reference numerals 12 and 13 to indicate'the rails of a switch track. The rail 12, which is nearest to the main track, I shall call the inner rail. It will of course be understood that my improved switch and frog may be made at'the junction of two tracks.

' The form of frog ordinarily employed at 'the point where the inner or adjacent rails of two tracks intersect at a junction point, is well known. It is also well known that accidents frequently occur at the frogs. Instead of the ordinary frog, I have used the form of the device which will now be described.

At the point where the rail .12 intersects the rail 11 and crosses the same, I have removed sections of the rails 11 and 12 of equal length. In the space left by the removal of such rail sections, I have mounted a comparatively heavy plate 14 having notches 15. The plate 14 rests on the ties 16 in such position that the ends of the rails 11 and 12 are received in the respective notches 15. The plate 14: is firmly secured solid triangular rail member 17 adapted to form a part of either railroad track. In this connection it may be mentioned that-while, for purposes of illustration, Ihave shown a triangular member 17 at one end of the movable frog rail member, it should be understood that such a member 17 may be used at each end of the movable member. The use of a member 17 at one or both ends of the movable member makes it possible to use a shorter movable frog rail member, thereby reducing'the amount of weight which must be moved by the operating mechanism- Pivotally secured to the plate 14 is a movable frog rail member 19. In the lower surface of the frog rail member 19 is a longitudinal groove 20, which may extend the entire length of said rail member. The base of the rail member is bolted to and supported upon a plate 21, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The rail member 19 is pivoted to the plate 14 by means of a bolt 22, having a head countersunk in the tread portion of the rail member 19, and extending downwardly through the plate 14. The rail 'n1ember'19 is adapted to turn on the bolt 22, as a pivot, so that it will be in direct alinement with the parts of the rail 12 in one of the-positions of its movement, or so that it will be in to the nearest rail members 11 and 12, has

extensions 27 and 28 in the direction of the rails 11 and 12 respectively, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The bar 23is yieldingly held toward theadjacent rail members 11 and 12 by means of a spring 27. Pivoted to the lower surface of the extension 24 and extending therefrom toward the bolt 22 is a link 28. Pivoted to the plate 14 near the bolt 22 is a link 29 extending toward and which is a horizontal handle 35 having a pivoted to the link 28, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Pivoted to the links 28*} and 29 at their point of connection, is a laterally extendinglink 30 extending beyond the rails, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6. The outer end of the link 30 is pivoted to one end of a bell crank lever 31 which 'lever is suitably mounted at the side of the track. The other end of the bell crank lever 31 is pivoted to a link 32 extending longitudinally along the side of the track to a switch stand 33.

Mounted in the switch stand 33 is a vertical crank shaft 34, on the upper endof hinged end member 36, adapted, when swung downward to vertical position, to fit into slots 37 in the switch stand 33. Formed on the shaft 34 is a crank 38, which is rotatably mounted in one end of the link 32. The parts just described are so arranged that when the handle 35 is arranged at right angles to the track, the links 28 and 29 will be in alinement with each other, the frog rail member 19 will be in alinement with one of the rails 11 and 12, and the extension 24 will be received in one of the extensions 28 or 27 of the slot26, thereby locking the rail member 19 in its position.

Assuming the parts to be in the position, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6, with the frog rail member 19 in alinement with the parts of the rail 12, then if the handle 35 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, duringthe first part of the rotation of the handle 35 through one-half revolution, the link 32 will be drawn longitudinally toward the switch stand, the link 30 will be moved longitudinally toward the tracks, and the connected ends of the links 28 and 29 will be moved toward the rail 13 to the position shown by the dotted lines 40 in Fig. 6, thereby withdrawing the ex tension 24 from the notch 28. During the .nxt part of the half revolution of the handle 35, the rail member 19 is moved from its position, shown in Fig. 1 to position in alinement with the portions of the rail 11.

. When the rail member 19 reaches the last described position, the links 28 and 29 will sition in alinement with each other, for permitting the spring 27 to move the bar 23 longitudinally for thereby causing the extension 24 to enter the notch 27 for locking the movable rail member in position in alinement with the members of the rail 11. In this connection attention is called to the fact that the member 24 engages with parts of the plate 14, for locking the movable rail member in position, and that this plan for locking the movable rail member is better than locking the movable rail member by engagement of the parts with the rails 11 or 12, for the reason that the rail members'll or 12 will so expand and contract, owing to variations in temperature, that a lock device engaging with said rail members 11 or 12 might be uncertain] The ends of the rails 11 and 12' which extend adjacent to the rails 13 and 10 respectively, are properly operated by means of a crank 42 on the shaft 34, a bar 43 connecting the free ends of the rails 11 It may be noted that it requires a halfrevolution of the crank shaft 34 to move the rail member 19 from one of its positions to the .other. On this account, it is impossible to mount an ordinary signal light on the shaft 34, for the reason that position shown by the dotted lines 41, to pothe signal light must be turned a quarter revolution at a time to secure proper results. I have provided the following means for operating a signal light with my switch controlling mechanism. At the side of the stand 33 is an upright shaft 46, having on The holes 60 plate, an adjustable rail member pivotally mounted thereon and designed to be adjusted to form a part of the inner rail of either of two tracks at the junction point of said tracks, a locking device slidably mounted within said adjustable rail member and adapted to engage parts of said plate in different positions of the adjustable rail member, means controlled by a single lever for operating said locking device and said rail member, and yielding means tending to move thz. locking device to locking position, whereby the action thereof is made certain even though there be some play among the parts.

2. In a device of the class described, a plate having a slot with extensions, an adjustable rail member pivotally mounted thereon and designed to be adjusted to form a part of the inner rail of either of two tracks at the junction point of said tracks,

a locking device slidably mounted Within said adjustable rail member having a part extended through the slot in said plate, and adapted to engage the parts of said plate adjacent to said slot extensions in different positions of the adjustable rail member,

said locking device being arranged to operate regardless of the positions of the adjacent rails of the tracks.

3. In a. device of the class described, a platehaving a slot with extensions, an adjustable rail member pivotally mounted thereon and designed to be adjusted to form a part of the inner rail of either of two tracks at the junction point of said tracks, a locking device slidably mounted within said adjustable rail member having a part extended through the slot in said plate and adapted to engage the parts of said plate adjacent to said slot extensions in different positions of the adjacent rails of the tracks, and yielding means tending to hold said locking device in operative position.

Des Moines, Iowa, March 6, 1915.

AUGUSTIN SCOHY.

Witnesses THOMAS FLAOKHART, Tnos. EDGAR. 

